Mike Colón Media

In Episode 402 of Mic’d In New Haven — The Best of The Bravest: Nationwide, Volume 12 — Bridgeport Chief Rich Thode shares a haunting fireground moment that changed him.

Responding to what appeared to be a minor first-floor fire, Thode headed upstairs alone to check for extension. What he found was fire in a bedroom closet — and then radio silence. Calls to command went unanswered due to known communication issues.

As smoke thickened and the room began to light up, he turned to exit — only to hit wall after wall in disorienting conditions. In the back of his mind was the recent loss of Steven Mitch, a tragedy still fresh in the department. The realization hit:

“Nobody knows I’m up here.”

A stumble backward into a door — and into the hallway — ended the near-miss. He walked downstairs, reported the extension, and kept it moving.

It’s a powerful reminder of how quickly conditions change, how critical communication is, and how even seasoned firefighters can find themselves one wrong turn away from disaster.

VIEW INTERVIEW HERE: